Stieglitz, who also works as creative director, lead designer, lead programmer and development director at Studio Wildcard, spoke about wanting to get player feedback for some of the new gameplay mechanics that we will see in Legacy of Santiago. Much like the last time he spoke about this, he noted that this helps the studio with reducing risks for ARK 2.

“We’re taking a lot of the systems developed for ARK 2 and moving them into Legacy of Santiago because we’d like to get player feedback on them and prototype them to reduce risk,” he said. “Every game can have an expansion pack that’s a ‘miss,’ and you just move on, but if you have a whole new game that’s a miss, it can be a company-ending thing. Legacy of Santiago is a way to see how features like the new combat perform in a live environment over time.”

Just last month, Stieglitz had spoken about some of these new features coming to ARK: Survival Ascended with the release of Legacy of Santiago in Q4 2027. He noted that, while the expansion won’t feature the narrative things we can expect from ARK 2 when it finally launches, it will bring with it things like Soulslike third-person melee combat. He also noted that these systems being received well could lead to ARK 2‘s major selling point becoming its worldbuilding and narrative.

“My general view on it is that it probably comes down to content. Legacy of Santiago is going to involve a lot of the new fighting and combat mechanics that we want to experiment with, with ARK 2: Soulslike third-person combat, melee combat, and so forth,” he said. “But it’s not going to have all this like crazy narrative world build out content that we want to do with ARK 2, if the mechanics seem to work well with Legacy of Santiago, then the key selling point of ARK 2 could be that there is this giant campaign narrative that sits as a standalone product.”

Stieglitz had also spoken about the lessons that Studio Wildcard learned when it had decided to stop development on ARK: Survival Evolved to instead focus more on ARK: Survival Ascended and ARK 2. He noted how fans of Survival Evolved got angry at the developer because they wanted more content and they weren’t ready to move on to a new game just yet.

“One thing we learned is to not say goodbye until your players want you to. To be honest with you, we kind of just hard-stopped updating ARK: Survival Evolved, and we’re like, ‘OK, we’re done with it.’ And actually, players were kind of mad about that, because they weren’t ready, they wanted more content at that point,” he said.

Announced during Snail Games’ Investor Day in Times Square (reported by the Epic Games Store), Stieglitz confirmed that a 2028 launch was indeed “our intention.” “One of the things about doing ARK 2 was that we felt we had to learn a lot more about how to make the kind of game we wanted to do, and to do it kind of in phases. Learning about both the technology and the mechanics seemed, to us, safer than to just try to go and release a whole standalone product called ARK 2.“

Legacy of Santiago, an expansion out in Q4 2027, is one such route that the studio is taking. “We’re going to be introducing a lot of the mechanics and features that we wanted to kind of test out in ARK 2 as an expansion for ARK: Survival Ascended.

“Legacy of Santiago will allow us to explore a lot of mechanics that we want to do with ARK 2, but it kind of derisks that. Essentially, if we don’t do it right, if we don’t do it perfectly, we’re able to iterate on it with a live game and get a lot more feedback than to just release something standalone. It’s much safer for us to get a lot of that feedback in a live game where we can react much more fluidly to what players are telling us.”

This is also a way to prep players for the sequel before bidding adieu to the original. “One thing we learned is to not say goodbye until your players want you to. To be honest with you, we kind of just hard-stopped updating ARK: Survival Evolved, and we’re like, ‘OK, we’re done with it.’ And actually, players were kind of mad about that, because they weren’t ready, they wanted more content at that point,” he said.

As for whether Legacy of Santiago could risk taking some of the sheen off ARK 2 by featuring some of its mechanics, it’s something that Stieglitz didn’t “quite” have the answer to yet.

My general view on it is that it probably comes down to content. Legacy of Santiago is going to involve a lot of the new fighting and combat mechanics that we want to experiment with, with ARK 2: Soulslike third-person combat, melee combat, and so forth. But it’s not going to have all this like crazy narrative world build out content that we want to do with ARK 2, if the mechanics seem to work well with Legacy of Santiago, then the key selling point of ARK 2 could be that there is this giant campaign narrative that sits as a standalone product.”

Of course, the expansion’s narrative isn’t anywhere near as massive in scope. However, much of that will rely on Vin Diesel, who was revealed in the sequel’s debut trailer.

“We have a much more ambitious narrative built out for ARK 2. But I’m going to be blunt, it’s really going to be highly dependent on just how involved Vin Diesel is actually going to be, which is still an open question.

“The question is: How much performance are we going to get from him?” Stieglitz said. “Are we going to get one day, five days, eight hours? You don’t know. And the scope of how much performance we are going to get determines just how the narrative is going to play out. We have a narrative that’s if we get a lot of Vin Diesel, this is what we will do, and if we get a little Vin Diesel, this is what we will do.”

ARK 2 is coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC, launching on day one for Game Pass. It will reportedly be exclusive to the subscription service for three years.

In the interview, Stieglitz revealed that Studio Wildcard had made a vertical slice for Ark 2 that would showcase how its various gameplay systems would work together, the studio had since been busy with working on Ark: Survival Ascended. According to Stieglitz, “we felt that as a team, it would be very difficult to follow that all the way through to a complete game with both our experience level and [our scope] as a company.”

“We put the vertical slice on hold a couple of years ago to make [Ark: Survival Ascended], and we’ve been only nibbling at it since then,” Stieglitz explained. “A small portion of our team continues to refine the mechanics of [Ark 2‘s] combat… It’s very difficult to do soulslike combat in a multiplayer PvP context. You could probably count the number of games on one hand that have even attempted that in an actual PvP context.”

While the studio hasn’t yet been able to get back to work on the vertical slice, Stieglitz noted that it would take the team “18 months of hardcore team focus to [turn] that vertical slice into an early access game, when we get to put the vast majority of our team back on it.” Once the studio is able to break away from working on Survival Ascended, however, he noted that an Early Access release of Ark 2 might possibly come out over the next two years.

“We need to figure out how we kind of optimize all those resources to continue to generate the revenue to get all the way to the finish line with Ark 2, but also free up enough development resources to make Ark 2 at the exact same time,” he said.

Studio Wildcard has also been facing issues thanks to the constant forward march of technology, with new techniques and tools being created all the time. Stieglitz noted that, due to this, it can be easy for a game to come out that is otherwise decent, but feels outdated in some ways.

“Occasionally you’ll see a game come out where it’s actually quite solid, but it feels like it’s two or three years behind the curve,” he said. “You just feel like ‘man, if this had been released four years ago, it would have been a huge hit.’ You don’t want to be that game.”

In the interview, Stieglitz also revealed a few new details about the game, including the fact that it will feature “NPC antagonists” that were shown off in the trailer. He said that, while PvP will still be a focus of the game, more environmental threats could lead to more interesting experiences.

“Ark 2 has to have NPC antagonists, because that’s been implied by the trailer and has been part of our design for quite some time as an opposing force, so to speak,” Stieglitz explained. “We feel that could add a lot more threat level to the environment and the feeling of being able to enjoy a PvP-like experience, even without [fighting against other players].”

The last time we heard about Ark 2 was all the back in 2023 when the studio was aiming for a Spring 2025 launch window for the game. Since then, however, not many details have been revealed. In the meantime, check out details about how Ark 2 will be launching on Game Pass. Also check out details about Ark: Survial Ascended’s Scorched Earth update from last year.

Available on PS5, ARK: Survival Ascended is a remake of Survival Evolved on Unreal Engine 5 for PS5, with quality-of-life changes and support for up to 70 players in a session. It also includes expansions like Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, and ARK Genesis Part 1 and 2.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a first-person shooter for PS4 and PS5 set in the Warhammer 40K universe, where players control a Space Marine as they battle the forces of Chaos. The twist is that it’s more of a 90s-style shooter, complete with an old-school visual aesthetic.

Finally, there’s Balatro, a deck builder that utilizes the rules of Poker for an addictive rogue-like experience. Also playable on PS4 and PS5, it sold over five million units and won three categories at The Game Awards 2024. All three titles will be available to claim until June 2nd.

Yeoh reprises her role as Mei Yin from ARK: The Animated Series, and you can check out some of the scenes in the trailer below. Other notable actors include Madeleine Madden (Amazon’s The Wheel of Time), who voices Helena Walker, and Auli’i Cravalho (Moana 1 and 2) as Meeka. Surprisingly, more characters will be voiced, including fan favorites.

As for new content, Lost Colony unfolds on Arat Prime with a new story that bridges Extinction/Genesis and ARK 2 (which still lacks a release date). On top of new Cursed tiers of gear and exotic tameable beasts, you can also harness new Lost ability trees. There are also various hostile factions to deal with. Stay tuned for more details and a concrete release date in the coming months.

Helldivers 2 PSN account backtrack

Sony came within a hair’s breadth of tanking their runaway success of the year with the perplexing requirement for PC users to link a PSN account to Steam to play Helldivers 2. If you didn’t already own a PSN account it’d be mandatory to make one to carry on playing. Sony’s act of self-sabotage caused widespread discontent, of course, but was also set to lock players from the 177 countries without PSN access out of the game. Fortunately, Sony put their collective heads together and reversed the decision, review bombing was ceased with sales – now eclipsing 12 million – continuing. 

]]> 606227 https://gamingbolt.com/10-unwanted-moves-by-game-companies-only-for-them-to-change-their-minds Wed, 12 Jun 2024 13:19:53 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=589125 Developers are people, and people – at the end of the day – make mistakes. Inspired by Helldivers 2 and it’s recent Sony-led controversy to attach a PSN account to PC players, we’re looking at 10 instances when developers simply got it wrong.

Helldivers 2 PSN account backtrack

Sony came within a hair’s breadth of tanking their runaway success of the year with the perplexing requirement for PC users to link a PSN account to Steam to play Helldivers 2. If you didn’t already own a PSN account it’d be mandatory to make one to carry on playing. Sony’s act of self-sabotage caused widespread discontent, of course, but was also set to lock players from the 177 countries without PSN access out of the game. Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead fronted by CEO Jordan Leithart have shown transparency on the situation, admitting to knowledge of the requirement 6 months prior to its announcement. Their honesty has quietened cynicism and, together with the policy’s reversal, review bombing has ceased with sales – now eclipsing 12 million – continuing.

The desert realm has six biomes to explore, from extensive dunes and oases to ruins and ancient caves. Perhaps the biggest shift from The Island is the scarcity of water required for survival and new phenomena like sandstorms and heat stroke. There are new creatures to tame, including the Fasolasuchus, but you’ll also have to contend with the Death Worm.

Over 50 new items are available to craft, from heat-resistant gear and buildings to whips, boomerangs, chainsaws and more. Wind turbines and oil refineries further enhance one’s base, and a new apex boss – the Manticore – awaits. Studio Wildcard notes that only characters can be transferred in the first 60 days of release – no dinosaurs or items. Once that period ends, it’s open season.

Ark: Survival Ascended is available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review of the early access version here.

On March 20th, Supermassive Games’ The Quarry joins the service for the cloud and consoles, followed by Evil West on March 21st. March 26th sees Terra Invicta, the massive strategy title from the creators of XCOM’s Long War mod, releasing on Game Preview for PC players. Diablo 4 is perhaps the biggest release, coming to consoles and PC on March 28th.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged and Open Roads are coming on the same day and playable on cloud, consoles and PC. Finally, April 1st kicks off with the addition of Ark: Survival Ascended for cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. On April 2nd, F1 23 is playable via EA Play on the cloud while Superhot: Mind Control Delete arrives for subscribers on the cloud, consoles and PC.

The titles leaving on March 31st include Hot Wheels Unleashed and MLB The Show 23 (which makes sense considering the addition of their sequels). Infinite Guitars is also going away, though Game Pass subscribers can avail of 20 percent discounts to purchase the titles.

Primordial Malzeno – Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

The final post-launch monster added to Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Primordial Malzeno is an enhanced version of Malzeno with way more health and damage. He’ll pummel you with smashes and swipes and unleashes Qurio projectiles, tail strikes and lasers in his frenzied state. Did we mention he can teleport around? All of this is before his insane supernova attack, which unleashes even more projectiles and energy waves before culminating in a big explosion. If that weren’t enough, he enters a Risen state near the end and goes insane with big attacks.

Dragon – Ark: Survival Ascended

The Dragon has remained a threat since Ark: Survival Evolved launched, and with Survival Ascended only having the island, it’s now the toughest boss in the remake. Regardless of which version is faced, its fire breath will deal damage equivalent to 20 percent of max health, regardless of armor or resistance (though dinosaurs immune to fire are safe). Other attacks, like its fireballs, are also dangerous, and it has Dimorphs and Pteranodons to help as well. Those playing solo should prepare for a long grueling fight.

Richter – Wanted: Dead

As the final boss of Wanted: Dead, Richter is fought one-on-one, which means no revives. He’ll dodge all bullets and can only be damaged with a katana. Which is fine, except you must parry almost every attack, and counter to stun and damage him. It’s all easier said than done when dealing with his fast strikes, and he becomes much more dangerous in the second phase, adding an insta-kill move to his arsenal. He also gains the option to heal because, of course, he does.

Horus Titan – Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores

Even with the new Specter Gauntlet, the battle against the Horus Titan can be a doozy. It’s massive and constantly moving, with Aloy needing to expose its heat vents and deal damage. The second part of the fight involves avoiding its tendrils while facing it head-on, which is also challenging. Once it finally falls, you still need to venture inside and take out Walter Londra, which isn’t as difficult but still somewhat tricky.

Metroid Prime – Metroid Prime Remastered

Sure, Metroid Prime originally launched in 2002, but its final boss remains one of the toughest in the entire series to this day. It adapts to your weapons in the first phase, so switching it up is necessary, and things become even more unhinged when its core is exposed. Not only is it more aggressive and dangerous, but you need to use different visors to find it while using Phazon pools to charge up Samus and deal damage.

King of Puppets – Lies of P

You feel bad for the King of Puppets, especially when he’s trying to rescue P from a dark fate. Unfortunately, a puppet king spurned is a puppet king mad, and his first phase consists of slow but heavy attacks with extensive range. They become more complex and tougher to parry, and when you think he’s down for the count, Romeo, the actual King, emerges from the oversized suit. The battle becomes fast-paced, as you must keep track of his movements and slices, presumably with very little healing after the first phase.

The Unbroken Promise – Lords of the Fallen

What’s scarier? Having to face Harrower Dervla with her wide-range attacks or a version of her that’s stronger and wields Umbral Magic? The Unbroken Promise proved to be the latter, unleashing powerful attacks and magic with little downtime after taking over Dervla’s body. It can manifest an Umbral set of nails to follow and strike you or circle it at a moment’s notice with surprising speed.

Kale – Hi-Fi Rush

As the leader of Vandelay Technologies, Kale proves to be more than just a snobby executive. On top of devastating slashes and lightning strikes, he reveals four mechanical tentacles, which can slam the ground, create barriers, Z-shielding and more. His final phase is even wilder, as he starts summoning pillars of fire on top of wide-arcing slashes.

Annihilation – Remnant 2

This is easily the most challenging boss in the game and especially brutal at launch before the nerfs. It has three faces, from homing projectiles and massive sword swings to a giant energy ball, while flying around the place. The second phase takes place in a different dimension with a new form and brand new attacks, with Annihilation switching back and forth between both phases mid-attack. It’s disorienting, and attacks are brutal, but even after surviving, you need to deal with hordes of enemies in the third phase before it finally dies.

Mitra – Ghostrunner 2

How difficult you find Mitra will depend on how challenging a bullet hell fight with excessive platforming can be. From that perspective, he’s especially punishing as the fight wears on, with the Cybervoid presenting all kinds of traversal challenges as you avoid his projectiles. Due to the nature of the game, a single hit is fatal, which means you need to execute everything without any flaws.

Tsukuyomi – WILD HEARTS

For all the things WILD HEARTS suffered from throughout its lifespan, the Kemono continue to pose a challenge. Tsukuyomi is the toughest yet, with excessive health, immense damage and a predisposition to attack off-camera when you can barely set it coming. The fact that you must rely on specific elements to defeat it isn’t a new concept (see Alatreon from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne), but this is still a slog of a fight.

Lu Bu – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Good ol’ Lu Bu remains a tough boss, even after all these months. Maybe it’s the fact that he deals absurd damage from range with arrows or up close with his spear. Maybe it’s the horse running around the arena, disrupting you even after Lu Bu is knocked off (which he can also get back on whenever). Regardless, he’s still rough, especially at this point in the game.

Ranrok Dragon – Hogwarts Legacy

As a final boss, Ranrok Dragon has a fair amount of attacks in his arsenal, unleashing projectiles and sweeping beams, the latter doing excessive damage. There’s also a massive explosive field in the second phase that must be avoided. You must destroy the floating orbs to deal any real damage, which becomes more challenging in the third phase when he lands and assails you with physical attacks.

Behemoth King – Final Fantasy 16

As one of five S-Rank Notorious Marks, Behemoth King is an optional boss fight and not required to finish the game. Nevertheless, it’s a worthy challenge for those who want to push their combat skills. If the name wasn’t a clue, it’s akin to regular Behemoth in some ways, but with more health and damage. It throws out tornados and meteors casually, with Reign of Fire triggering a storm of meteors when it’s at half health. Perhaps the only comfort is that Behemoth King dies when its health is depleted, unlike the regular version.

Bode Akuna (2nd Fight) – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Unlike the first fight, you’re taking on Bode proper, with Merrin assisting. The first phase isn’t too rough despite several fast attacks and his unorthodox fighting style. However, when he starts dealing with wide-ranging attacks and chucking grenades, it becomes tougher. The second phase sees Bode throwing his lightsaber, which follows you, and throws stun grenades while firing at range. He also throws some unblockable attacks, and having to complete another phase after this while not being able to recharge health or Stims makes this the most challenging encounter in the game.

IB-01: CEL 240 – Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

As one of the C-weapons powered by Coral, the IB-01: CEL 240 is fast, unleashes waves with its energy swords and even relies on remote satellites to hit you with lasers, often all at once. Getting a bead on it can be difficult, but with enough perseverance, it’ll fall. That is until it suddenly reactivates and adds new moves, like unleashing even more satellites to rain down lasers, more aggressive melee attacks, and even transforming into a firebird to ram into you.